A new beer launching Thursday ahead of the Gopher football home opener against Eastern Illinois will help fund women's athletics at the University of Minnesota.
Dinkytown Athletes, the University's name, image and likeness collective, and Indeed Brewing have partnered to develop MN Honey Light, a light beer featuring Minnesota wildflower honey.
"Proceeds from this beer are going to women athletes through Dinkytown Athletes," said Ryan Bandy, Indeed's Chief Business Officer. "As a small company, sometimes we get what it's like to maybe not get as much attention as we deserve or maybe not getting the amount of money we want or something. We have a lot of women on leadership at Indeed that are like, if we do this, it'd be really cool to focus attention on women athletes."
In 2023, Grey Duck partnered with Dinkytown Athletes to release Duck Duck Beer. That beer is no longer available and Bandy said that created an opportunity for Indeed to step in with a new partnership.
"Before Covid, we were actually talking to the University of Minnesota about some potential agriculture products they're working on and could we make beers with them, that kind of sputtered out," Bandy said. "It's always been a goal. I graduated from the U, the founders graduated from the U, and we're only a couple of miles from campus. It's always been a thing that we have wanted to figure out to be involved in."
Bandy visited Cincinnati-based brewery, Rhinegeist, which brews Cincy Light, an NIL beer supporting University of Cincinnati student-athletes.
"I was like, 'Damn, that's a really good idea,'" he said. "Obviously Grey Duck has a vodka that does this kind of thing and they had a beer. I reached out to Dinkytown Athletes about partnering and they were excited about it. There was a hole to fill and we were really excited to jump on the opportunity."
The beer makes its official debut at an official release party on Thursday at Stub and Herbs near Huntington Bank Stadium.
MN Honey Light will then be available at University of Minnesota home football, basketball, and hockey games.
MN Honey Light sales will help fund Minnesota Women’s Athletics
MN Honey Light sales will help fund Minnesota Women’s Athletics
